After reading the second chapter, I found out many answers to some of the questions that I had. One of the topics that both the first and second chapter mentioned was, how easy it was to become a teacher in earlier days. Since I enjoy history and was particularly interested in this subject, I wanted to find out more about the specific requirements that were mandated to teach. So my question is "What were the requirements to teach at least 40 years ago?" I wanted to find the basic requirements that would get you by to start teaching. It took me a while to figure out how to do this, but then it hit me. There is an incredible resource right here on campus that helped me out with this question. He has taught off and on 38 years, and is very knowledgeable about history. I had a very enjoyable visit with Dr.
English: Photo of the Agenda schoolhouse in northe...
English: "Division 9" schoolhouse in Wells
One-room school building in Jefferson, ColoradoMcKinney.
While I was talking with McKinney, I learned of the requirements that were needed to teach as far back as the 1920's. He started off the visit with telling of the teachers of the early 20's. In this time all that was needed was an 8th grade education, and pass a test administered by the county superintendent. By meeting these requirements, it was very easy to start teaching. As McKinney and I visited, I learned that around the 1930's was when you needed a high school education to teach. He spoke of a time when there were many one-room schoolhouses. The teachers of these small schools didn't understand why they had to have any education at all to teach elementary age children. McKinney said that around the time of the 1940's was when college classes were needed in order to teach. Although college...